Swarms of drones haunt the popular imagination, crowding the skies as they race helter skelter to monitor traffic jams, gauge the health of farmers' fields and even deliver packages for Amazon.

In Jonathan Evans' mind, though, those drones soar on an invisible, online tether. They're orderly notes in a carefully orchestrated symphony, moving along meticulously plotted routes that assure they reach their destination.

"There is a standard of safety that we can demonstrate," Evans said, a standard that could meet what society already expects from commercial aviation.

His Portland startup, Skyward, announced $1.5 million in funding Tuesday to help apply those rules to the emerging world of drones. Skyward aims to connect drone operators to regulators and insurance companies to verify that tiny planes and helicopters are playing by an emerging set of rules.

Skyward is backed by Voyager Capital, the only big venture firm with a full-time Oregon presence. Voyager's local portfolio includes Act-On Software, Chirpify, Elemental Technologies and Lytics. Former Skype engineering chief Toivo Annus has also backed the company, and serves as an adviser.

A former Black Hawk helicopter pilot for the U.S. Army, Evans, 36, came to Oregon as a Life Flight pilot in Eugene. He dropped out of the University of Oregon's MBA program to pursue Skyward as co-founder and chief executive.

Skyward joins a host of other "aerial robotics" companies in Oregon and Southwest Washington, buoyed by businesses that are finding new tasks for those tiny flying robots.

Funding: $1.5 million led by Voyager Capital, joined by Draper Associates and Skype co-founder Toivo Annus.

Employees: 12, including eight at its new waterfront headquarters in Portland’s Old Town.

Boeing subsidiary Insitu anchors the cluster, producing drones for the military and for commercial applications, while other companies' aircraft monitor agriculture. The Federal Aviation Administration has established test ranges for drones near Pendleton and Tillamook, and on the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation.

Drones remain a niche technology and their emergence will depend, to a large degree, on convincing the public that their utility outweighs the potential for intrusiveness, and persuading regulators that the tiny aircraft can be flown safely. Skyward, which already has a handful of clients in countries that are more permissive in allowing drone use, thinks it can provide that level of assurance.

Oregon's drone cluster, coupled with a strong computer hardware legacy courtesy of Tektronix and Intel, makes the region a natural place to start an "aerial robotics" business, Evans said. And with Amazon seeking permission to begin testing drone deliveries, Evans said the time is perfect to begin writing rules for that road.

"Before Jeff Bezos can deliver in the city of Portland we need to develop these aerial corridors that are safe," he said. "We are drawing that map."